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Gardener's Diary
March

Gardener's Diary is a regular feature of
laterlife.com run by Rosemary Martin.

An introduction from Rosemary...

I have been gardening now as a hobby for about thirty years, but
have no formal training.. I don't have a
favourite style of gardening, traditional is nice, but I
also think the modern trends work well.

This column adds a new dimension to my interest in all aspects of
horticulture and will hopefully help others find pleasure in
this healthy and therapeutic pastime ...

Please e-mail me
with your garden problems, comments, or ideas for this section oflaterlife,
remembering to tell me which country you are from..

According to the forecasters this was to have been the mildest winter for fifteen years,
but the end of February saw heavy snowfalls and quite severe frosts, which
covered most of the UK... This seems to be a trend in recent
years, with spring blossom coming out early and bulbs about to flower, then suddenly
everything getting knocked back by severe weather.

Don`t worry though, plants are very resilient and will soon
pick up. If you have suffered with severe weather of any type, wait a
while to see if anything in your garden really has died before
removing it. Often just cutting out the dead and broken parts will
restore a shrub to its former glory. The one useful thing you can
do is knock snow off shrubs that are bending under the weight of it.. A soft
yardbrush is good for this job.

Jobs for March

Lawns

March - April are good months for sowing or laying new
lawns. Existing lawns should be swept and raked before mowing. I have
already lightly mown my lawn in January and February, more to
collect debris than shorten the grass, and this month I shall remove the
moss with an electric scarifier, which is an extremely satisfying job... I
use Greenthumb for lawn
treatment, but thought the scarifying process was something I could do
myself as we have an electric scarifier and the exercise is good for me!

Vegetables

Continue to sow successional crops such as salads and
carrots. You don`t need a vegetable garden or allotment to enjoy home grown
vegetables as they can be grown in amongst the flowers as I said last month.
In fact it helps to keep the aphids and carrot fly away if you plant
vegetables amongst flowers such as marigolds, and I think it looks really
nice to see vegetables and salad stuff dotted around the borders. Later on
you could put a small wigwam of runner beans in.

Paths and walkways

Keep paths and walkways clear of debris and slippery algae.
If it is still icy, put down some salt to melt it, which will save you and
your visitors sliding all over the place, or worse, having a fall..

Shrub borders and roses

Turn over the borders with a fork to freshen them up and let air in - as the
earth will have become compacted over winter - taking out any weeds at the
same time. Cut out any dead or twiggy wood from rose bushes and shrubs.
Prune roses and any shrubs that need it, early summer and later flowering
clematis hybrids, ornamental grape vines and wisteria, according to
instructions in your gardening book

Pruning

Prune early summer and later flowering Clematis hybrids.
Prune Wisterias and ornamental grape vines. Tidy up shrubs or trees that
have suffered damage in the windy weather. If you are in doubt about when to
prune certain shrubs and clematis, consult a gardening book for the
varieties you have.

Dogwoods should be
pruned hard back this month to get the benefit of the new colourful growth
next winter.

Wildlife

The
birds are very busy this month pairing off and mating. If you are thinking
of placing new nesting boxes, make sure they face North so the sun doesn`t
shine in them. Clean out any old nesting boxes with a hand brush but not
disinfectant or water. I am wondering if the tiny wren will re-use the nest
she built last year. Whilst walking in the forest I have heard cuckoos and
woodpeckers and with the spring just around the corner I shall listen out
for them once again... The fox that travels through our garden each night is
a nuisance because he digs up the compost in all the ceramic tubs looking for the duck egg
he planted last year, as you can see on the left..

Paths, walls and fencing

Check over your boundary walls and fences for any wind or
subsidence damage.. A lick of paint on the
fence on a sunny day is very therapeutic and does wonders for freshening up
the faded panels.

Summer bedding plants

Start sowing seeds for your summer bedding plant displays.
Ensure they have the correct conditions stated on the packet - some
require a light covering of compost and no daylight, whilst others may
require no covering but plenty of daylight.. You will find too that some
seeds such as sweet peas and anemone corms need soaking in water for 24
hours before planting... Don`t overwater seeds and keep them warm enough.

These days I tend to cheat by buying pots of ready
germinated young seedlings from the garden centre, then pricking them out at
home..

You
may obtain their free New 2005 Seed Catalogue by telephoning 01473 695224
and their website address is www.thompson-morgan.com
where full information is available on their product varieties and orders
can be taken on-line.

The living theatre of plants and people The Eden Project is a gateway into the world of plants and
people. A meeting place for all to discover how we depend on plants
and how we can help to manage and conserve them for our mutual
survival.

Gardening is an important part of many people's lives. You
don't have to give up gardening because of accident or illness, the
onset of disability or the problems associated with growing older.
The information on their website is designed to provide you with the
information to Carry on Gardening.

Carry on Gardening was initiated by the horticultural charity Thrive and is funded by the National Lottery Charities Board. It brings together
information on easy ways of gardening gathered over 23 years by
Thrive and research carried out since the early 1970s by Mary
Marlborough Centre, Oxford, on tools and equipment for disabled and
older people.

Useful reading:-

"The Yellow Book" contains information of all
Gardens of England and Wales open for charity, and can be bought
priced ?5 from National Gardens Scheme www.ngs.org.uk

National Trust Gardens Handbook is ?6.99 and the
new edition is out in May Telephone 01394 389 950 or see
their website www.nationaltrust.org.uk